Young named NFL's top offensive rookie

The dynamic quarterback for the Tennessee Titans won The Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year Award on Wednesday. He did it in the same fashion he turned around the Titans' season - running away from the rest of the field.

Young, who led Texas to the 2005 national championship and was the third overall pick in last April's draft, overwhelmed one of the strongest rookie classes in NFL history. He received 23 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league.

Associated Press

Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young was named as the NFL's offensive rookie of the year by The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Running back Carnell "Cadillac" Williams of Tampa Bay won the award last year. Young is the third member of the Tennessee-Houston franchise to take top rookie honors: Earl Campbell in 1978 and Eddie George in 1996 did it for the Houston Oilers.

Young was the catalyst in Tennessee' rally from 0-5 to 8-8, at times looking as unstoppable for the Titans as he did with the Longhorns. A starter from Week 4, Young sprinkled all kinds of spectacular big plays with a growing maturity in joining Ben Roethlisberger (2004) as the only quarterbacks to win top rookie honors in the 49-year history of the award.

"A lot of people said it couldn't be done, especially at my position," Young said Wednesday from Houston. "I just worked hard to get to that position behind the scenes, to get to the point of getting into the race of trying to get rookie of the year."

Young became the first rookie quarterback to rush for more than 500 yards in the Super Bowl era, and his passing skills improved all year under coach Jeff Fisher and offensive coordinator Norm Chow.

Offensive rookie

NEW YORK (AP) - Voting for the 2006 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year selected by The Associated Press in balloting by a nationwide media panel:

Vince Young, Tennessee 23Marques Colston, New Orleans 9

Maurice Drew, Jacksonville 9

Marcus McNeill, San Diego 6

Reggie Bush, New Orleans 3

"I like to go out there and play the game and show that I can deliver the ball down the field, and that I can use my legs at the right time, when it's time to use my legs, and checking the ball down, just being a quarterback," Young said. "I want to change the game a little bit."

He's already helped change the perception of what a first-year quarterback can do given playing time. Young sat and learned for barely a month while Kerry Collins started and the Titans struggled. Then Fisher turned to the youngster well before he'd planned.

And Young delivered as the Titans threatened to become the first team to lose its opening five games and then make the playoffs. They were in contention until the final weekend, thanks greatly to a six-game winning streak that included a remarkable comeback from 21-0 down in the final 10 minutes to beat the Giants.

"Everything took off from that game," Young admitted.

"He was very prepared when he got here because of the experience he had in college," said Fisher, who along with Tennessee's scouts and general manager Floyd Reese chose Young over Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler in the draft. "We knew that he had a chance to improve and obviously that's why we went ahead and started him when we did. We felt like he was ready."